Posted on January 16, 2021 in Dinner, Drinks, Other, Snacks

In celebration of Arizona becoming the first Southwest state to legalize recreational marijuana, we want to offer our readers some cannabis-infused recipes inspired by the cuisine of this great state. Here are some of the tastiest (and easiest!) edible creations from the Southwest:

Happy Horchata

Aguas frescas are light, sugary drinks in Mexican cuisine, and they have become staples in Southwest cooking. Technically, agua fresca means “fresh water,” and homemade aguas frescas can be made from almost any fresh ingredient, from cucumbers to cantaloupe to chia seeds. However, one of the most popular aguas frescas everywhere — and one you might even have seen in your own hometown — is horchata.

Horchata de arroz is essentially a watered-down rice milk flavored with sugar, cinnamon and sometimes other spices, too. This agua fresca lends itself to cannabis infusion thanks to strong flavors that mask any lingering weediness. Plus, it is fun and easy to make at home, as long as you have a THC tincture on hand.

Ingredients:

• 7 1/2 cups water, divided
• 2 cups uncooked white rice
• 3/4 cup white sugar (or your sweetener of preference)
• 1/2 cup blanched almonds
• 1 tablespoon vanilla (paste or extract)
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

Add rice, almonds and 3 cups of water to blender, and blend until mixture has a fine consistency. Break cinnamon sticks into roughly 1/4-inch pieces. Pour blended mixture into a pitcher, and stir in cinnamon and vanilla. Cover and let sit for at least 8 hours. Strain mixture using cheesecloth, adding up to 1/2 cup of water if mixture is too gritty. Add sugar, stirring until dissolved, and pour in remaining 4 cups of water. When serving, drop 1 to 2 teaspoons of THC tincture into each glass — to taste and tolerance, of course.

THC Tacos

After a visit to a Phoenix dispensary, it is only natural to swing by a taco stand to stock up for your imminent munchies. Tacos are the perfect pairing to horchata — and they are also the perfect food to eat while high. In truth, you can weedify any taco with a few drops of THC oil or tincture, but if you have cannabutter in your 420-friendly kitchen, here’s a better THC taco recipe for you:

Ingredients:

• 4-5 ounces of cannabutter or other cannabis-infused cooking oil
• 1 red onion, finely diced
• 1 yellow onion, finely diced
• 1 1-ounce packet of taco seasoning
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 6-ounce can of tomato paste
• 1 pound ground beef

Melt half of the cannabutter in a pan over medium heat, and saute the onions, continuously stirring until they clarify. Put the cooked onions in a bowl, and stir in taco seasoning, garlic and tomato paste. Return the pan to heat, and add the remaining cannabutter as well as the ground beef, cooking until slightly browned. Add the onion-seasoning mixture to the beef, and simmer for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Serve with flour tortillas and your favorite taco toppings.

Elote Edibles

Elote is essentially a corn-on-the-cob dressed up with Mexican toppings in a delectable Southwest package. A summertime street food staple, elote is a fast and easy snack to add to a patio grill party to keep you and your guests munching while the rest of your culinary offerings cook. If you want your elote to look a little more put together, you might make it en vaso, which is taking the corn off the cob and serving the snack in a glass. This recipe for elote en vaso uses cannabutter — which isn’t traditional but is terribly fun.

Ingredients:

• 4 ears sweet corn
• 1 tablespoon cannabutter
• 6 tablespoons butter
• 1/3 cup lime juice
• 1/3 cup mayonnaise
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
• 3/4 cup Cotija cheese, crumbled (or grated Parmesan)

Cut corn from cobs, and place corn in a saucepan with water to cover. Bring pan to boil quickly, and lower heat to a simmer, cooking for about 3 minutes. Drain the corn, and immediately mix with all other ingredients, stirring well to combine. Serve with hot sauce and extra lime wedges.

Arizona’s choice to allow legal recreational weed could be a turning point for the U.S., and the next few years could see many other conservative strongholds permit the legal sale and adult use of cannabis. Thus, everyone deserves to celebrate with some delicious Southwest food — that comes with a THC twist.